We turned around twice, despite the signs. After all, you
don’t expect to find a fine dining establishment tucked away down a long dirt
road. The Rye Tavern, however,
is just that: worth turning around for
and pretty unexpected.
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| Photo Courtesy of ryetavern.com |
Located in Plymouth, MA near the Pine Hills and the
exclusive Old Sandwich Golf Club, the tavern exudes historic charm. The
building itself dates back to 1792 and was converted to the current restaurant
about three years ago by a group of locals committed to the now-popular farm to
table movement.
We arrived on a dreary Friday night, not quite knowing what
to expect. We were pleasantly surprised, though, at 7pm to see a full parking
lot followed by a warm and welcoming atmosphere inside that quickly helped take
the early fall chill from the air.
The dining room is cozy – a mere 15 tables wrapped around a
giant hearth – and abuts a small bar that accommodates another 8-10 patrons.
Our waitress explained that, had it been nicer outside, the heated outdoor
patio would have been open too. Quick math puts total indoor capacity for the
place at about 50, so it was a good thing I had made a reservation. The place
was full from the moment we arrived until we left around 9pm.
We started our overdue date night out with drinks. My
husband had an IPA brewed in Somerville, MA while I sampled an organic red wine
that was on special that evening. We settled on a nice cabernet to go with dinner,
reasonably priced at $40 a bottle. Of course, we could have ordered something
more expensive from the wine list – there was plenty to choose from – but our
date night wasn’t THAT overdue, and we’d like to have another one before the
holidays!
The place was buzzing, so it didn’t bother us much that
dinner took a while to arrive. Our waitress was very attentive, ensuring we were
content with our glasses of wine and the fresh baked cinnamon bread she had
brought.
For dinner, I opted for comfort food. Gnocchi in a
gorgonzola cream served with local roasted squash, figs and apples. Served in a
cast iron skillet, it arrived piping hot and was the perfect sized portion
(small) for such a heavy dish. I loved the combination of the figs and the
winter vegetables. My only complaint: the sauce was too salty for me, likely in
an effort to offset the sweetness of the figs.
My husband ordered the menu’s only steak, and raved about
the parmesan truffle mashed potatoes. Unfortunately for the couple dining next
to us, the steak was sold out by the time they ordered around 8pm. Another
thing to keep in mind – don’t get your heart set on a particular dish. The menu
changes every eight weeks or so to take advantage of what is available locally
according to the season.
Our evening ended with one last pour of wine and a quiet chuckle about our shared admiration of the sinks in the restrooms (no joke, they were amazing… see photo!). We also decided that with its charm, good food and friendly staff, the restaurant would be a great spot for our daughter’s rehearsal dinner when she gets married (she’s four, so we’re hoping the restaurant stays in business for a long time). Until then, we’ve already pegged the out of town family members we hope to bring to the Rye Tavern on a return visit. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for good weather so we can try the outdoor patio – an extension of the indoor appeal, with tiny twinkling white lights adorning the trees, for good measure.
